Ludwig’s Scientific Director Chi Van Dang expressed excitement about promising areas in the Lancet Oncology Commission report, which expands on recommendations of the Cancer Moonshot’s blue ribbon panel.
Ludwig San Diego’s Don Cleveland was awarded the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in life sciences for his research on the genetics of inherited neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS and Huntington’s disease. A total of five $3 million awards were given in that field.
A team of scientists led by Ludwig Harvard’s Marcia Haigis may have hit upon a new therapeutic strategy against breast cancer with the finding that breast tumor cells recycle the ammonia that is generated as a byproduct of normal cell metabolism and use the toxic waste as a source of nitrogen to fuel their growth.
Richard Hynes of Ludwig MIT recently received the National Academy of Medicine’s David Rall Medal for his exceptional leadership as Chairman of the NAM/NAS Committee on Human Gene Editing. In this interview, he talks about his work and shares his perspective on how we can better engage with the public on important issues in science and medicine.
In this interview, Ludwig Lausanne Director George Coukos discusses why he chose to focus on tumor research and immunotherapy, how innovative technologies can lead to greater understanding of tumor development, novel therapeutic options for cancer and more.
Ludwig Johns Hopkins Co-director Bert Vogelstein’s latest research unearthed a possible new method for detecting pancreatic cancer earlier using a liquid biopsy. This op-ed in Bloomberg gives an overview of Vogelstein’s research and other recent advances in early detection and prevention of cancer.
Ludwig Oxford’s Skirmantas Kriaucionis writes about the ways DNA base modifications add to the toolkit of critical gene-regulatory mechanisms. He outlines how researchers are just starting to explore how newly recognized epigenetic changes function in the genome.
The Defeat GBM Research Collaborative, a project of the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS), aims to overcome slow progress in the development of treatments for the brain cancer glioblastoma (GBM). Cure gives an update on the achievements of this collaborative, of which Ludwig San Diego’s Paul Mischel is one of the leading researchers.
“A key challenge in cancer immunotherapy is to understand why some patients respond to immunotherapy but many others do not,” says Ludwig Brussels Director Benoit Van den Eynde. In a new study, covered by AACR, Van den Eynde and colleagues provide a rationale for testing anti-PD1 immunotherapy in combination with COX-2 inhibitors in the clinic to improve responses.
Ludwig San Diego’s Kevin Corbett is featured as the latest “Cell scientist to watch.” In this interview, Corbett shares what inspired him to become a scientist, the big questions his lab is trying to answer, advice for scientists about to start their own labs and more.
Mads Gyrd-Hansen of Ludwig Oxford is a “cell scientist to watch” and Nordic cuisine aficionado. In this Journal of Cell Science feature, Gyrd-Hansen talks about his inspiration, what he’s working on now, the meaning of trust and more.
Companies like iTeos, founded by Ludwig Cancer Research, are testing IDO inhibitors to boost cancer immunotherapy. Founded by Ludwig with the de Duve Institute at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, iTeos is led by a team experienced in tumor immunology, immunotherapy, drug discovery, business development and entrepreneurship.
Ludwig Johns Hopkins scientists were involved in the development of the first FDA-approved drug for cancer based on disease genetics rather than location. Now, some patients with advanced pancreatic cancer have another treatment option.
If Ludwig MIT’s Bob Weinberg didn’t pursue science, he may have been a carpenter. Lucky for us, Weinberg has made landmark advances in cancer research and is a staunch advocate for basic science. Learn more about Weinberg’s fascinating life and career from MedPage Today.
Ludwig Johns Hopkins Co-director Bert Vogelstein illustrated the theme of the 2017 ACCR Annual Meeting—”Discover, Predict, Prevent, Treat”—at this year’s opening plenary. He explained that the development of new therapies goes hand in hand with the development of new prevention strategies. One key step is identifying the source of mutations for each type of cancer by improved molecular markers of disease using diagnostics such as liquid biopsies.
The Lausanne University Hospital (Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, CHUV) is focused on the development of innovative cancer therapies. Under the guidance of Ludwig Lausanne Director George Coukos, the chosen path forward is immunotherapy. In this interview, Lana Kandalaft, Ludwig Lausanne scientist and head of The Center for Experimental Therapies (CTE), shares an update on how her team is working to bring research to the clinic. This article is in French.
Ludwig Oxford scientist Colin Goding’s recent Genes & Development study was selected as the Editor’s Choice in Cancer Biology for The Scientist’s April issue. As previously reported, the study identified an ancient, cellular starvation response, conserved through eons of evolution, that underlies the spread of the aggressive skin cancer melanoma.
Ludwig Oxford scientist Colin Goding examines why cancer cells spread within the body and explains how understanding this process can help devise new treatment options.
A recent study led in part by Ludwig Johns Hopkins Co-director Bert Vogelstein argues that random “mistakes” dividing cells make when copying their DNA account for nearly two-thirds of the mutations that cause cancer. This article, which includes input from Vogelstein, explains the methodology of the study and the implications of its findings.
Ludwig MSK’s Dmitriy Zamarin spoke with Targeted Oncology about ways to make immunotherapy more effective in gynecological cancers. Zamarin says success will require combination approaches, biomarker development and identifying subpopulations that are more likely to benefit from immunotherapy.
Ludwig Harvard Co-director Joan Brugge was recently awarded the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor. The full video of the ceremony is available here. Starting at 7:35, you can watch the ACS’ introduction of Brugge, a deeply moving video tribute to her life and research, and her acceptance speech. We are very proud to be a part of her powerful story, and congratulate her on this well-deserved honor!
The San Diego Union-Tribune covers Paul Mischel’s latest research in this article, which includes a video of Mischel’s lab. In the video, Mischel describes how his team recently found that oncogenes “jump off” chromosomes onto extrachromosomal circles of DNA, driving tumor evolution and drug resistance. If we better understood the mechanisms behind this activity, Mischel says, we might be able to develop more effective cancer treatments.
In this podcast, Paul Mischel fields questions about the recent study he led that upends old assumptions about cancer genes. Mischel’s findings will shift how cancer diversity and resistance are understood and studied.
A recent study led by Ludwig San Diego’s Paul Mischel is likely to change the way tumor evolution is understood by scientists and could ultimately lead to new ways to prevent and treat many malignancies. The Scientist reports on the findings and includes perspectives from several scientists not involved in the study.
Chi Van Dang will join Ludwig as Scientific Director on July 1, 2017. A hematological oncologist and renowned researcher, Dang joins Ludwig from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, which he has directed since 2011.
In its report on the big brain cancer research-related developments of 2016, the National Brain Tumor Society cites a Cancer Cell study led by Ludwig San Diego’s Paul Mischel in partnership with a colleague at The Scripps Research Institute. That study demonstrated that GBM cells import vast amounts of cholesterol to survive and that the mechanisms they use to do so can be specifically and effectively undermined with drug-like molecules currently in clinical development.
As we step into 2017, a big question looming in the minds of all stakeholders in the cancer research arena is: What is the future of cancer research in the new administration?